Question

If you are supporting the steps in the AHRQ document "Five Steps to Safer Health Care," you would ensure that:

1) Patients are actively encouraged to make decisions related to care.
2) Rules and decisions are made through centralized processes.
3) You monitor the performance of each staff member closely.
4) Preference is given to increasing staff numbers rather than staff credentials.

Answer 1

To support the AHRQ's steps to safer health care, policies must address the balance between treatment costs, patient quality of life, and privacy. The ACA's cap on administrative costs and the adoption of EMRs aim to reduce costs and enhance efficiency, while HMOs can align provider incentives with patient care to mitigate moral hazard. The complexity of the healthcare system requires careful consideration of provider incentives, technological advancements, and demographic challenges.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you are supporting the steps in the AHRQ document "Five Steps to Safer Health Care," a focus would be placed on patient engagement and quality of care while considering cost-effectiveness and preserving patient privacy. When developing policies that balance the costs of treatments and diagnoses, the patient quality of life, and risks to individual privacy, three key questions must be addressed:

1. How can healthcare providers ensure that treatment costs are controlled without compromising the quality of patient care?
2. In what ways can patient privacy be protected while still facilitating access to essential health records, particularly in the switch to electronic medical records (EMRs)?
3. What are the ethical and practical considerations when basing health policies on principles such as value-based care, which seeks to link payment for healthcare services to the quality of care provided?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) introduced measures including a cap on administrative costs and a shift towards EMRs to promote efficiency. Moreover, alternatives to traditional fee-for-service models, such as health maintenance organizations (HMOs), align provider incentives with patient care, thus addressing issues of moral hazard by discouraging unnecessary treatments.

Ultimately, it is essential to consider the complexities of the healthcare system, which includes incentives for healthcare providers, advancements like telemedicine, and strategies for dealing with an aging population.